Yoga is something that one does with one’s body as well as one’s mind. There is an emotional and spiritual component to the practice that some mistakenly think of as just a series of exercises. So, for instance, the shavasana or corpse pose is about relaxing completely physically and letting go, and surrendering in the emotional sense as well. The backbend yoga poses also have certain emotional and spiritual impacts beyond the mere physical.
The backbend pose and variations
There are so many backbend yoga poses that they cannot be covered in a single blog post. We’ll talk about a few of them. The Ardha Chandrasana is a backbend pose that is also called the crescent lunge or the half-moon pose. To perform this aasan, take a long lunge forward with one leg with the other stretched out behind. Now curve the body back and reach back and with the arms, palms joined, in a way that the body curves backward into a semicircle. A variation of this pose is the Ashwa sanchalanasana or equestrian pose where the arms come down to rest on either side of the body while the body is in the half-moon pose.
Bhujangasana or cobra pose requires you to lie on your back and raise the upper body off the floor in an arc supported by the hands on either side of the hips. Then, raising the feet up and reaching back with the arms to grasp the ankles, one goes into Dhanurasan or the bow pose. A more advanced type of backbend is Grivasana or the neck pose (which should be done under supervision), where the feet are flat on the ground and the only other part of the body touching the floor is the head.
Benefits of backbend yoga poses
There are many physical benefits of performing backbends and their variations correctly, while maintaining the right breathing techniques. As with any such exercise involving the stretching of the spine, backbends and their variations are very good for spinal health, helping alleviate back and neck pain.
They improve body balance which can help prevent falls and also train the body to maintain an erect, healthy posture. Backbends increase flexibility and range of motion. They also help strengthen and reinforce the core muscles of the body, resulting in a healthier heart and faster metabolism.
Perhaps more subtle, but even more important are the emotional and spiritual benefits that backbends bring. There is evidence to show that backbends have positive impacts on the brain similar to certain antidepressant medications. The ‘expansive chest opening aspects’ of these yogic poses were seen to help the body relax and elevate the mood.
Backbends increase the body’s energy levels and release mood-elevating hormones into the blood stream. At an emotional level, as the body arches up, the mind also does the same, making room in our lives for new emotions, experiences and feelings. It is a physical vulnerability that gives us the courage to become more receptive in our personal relationships as well as other areas of life.
As the body curves into various backbend yoga poses, we find ourselves letting go of the negative emotions in our lives – relinquishing sadness, fear, anger. At the same time we find ourselves embracing joy, acceptance, love and compassion. Doing these exercises mindfully, we become aware of our life force and the essential inner being. As the body arches up and outward, we create self-belief and gain faith in our own abilities.